On November 23rd, Gracie Barra Bath held its annual Seminar with Professor Carlos Lemos Jr [GMA member and leader of Gracie Barra Countryside]. You could feel the excitement was buzzing in the air as 50 students lined up on the mat, ready to begin. It was impressive to glance around the room and see so many students packed in, with only two not being regulars at Gracie Barra Bath. Even with so many on the mat there were still a few of our students who weren’t able to attend, so who knows – soon we will probably have to find a bigger place in order to accommodate everyone!

I digress however – let’s get back to the seminar. It is always special to witness a teacher like Professor Carlos step onto the mat and command respect with a strong inner stillness that immediately brings a room to order. As we stood ready and waiting for the seminar to begin I believe it made Prof. Carlos proud to see so many old faces, so many new ones and a healthy growing school.

Everyone in attendance was there for one reason, to gain just a little bit of the wisdom and knowledge imparted by Professor Carlos. Sure, we were there to gain new techniques and add them to our repertoire, definitely, but more than that, we were there to learn life lessons. To gain wisdom from someone who has been on the journey of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu a lot longer than most of us, is something to cherish. As students we listen to every word, absorb it, digest it, then try to live by it as we strive to be better people and create a better society around us. Learn from those who have been on this journey longer and avoid their mistakes as they teach us the right way. It is obvious at these occasions that we are part of something greater than us, something special that any one can be a part of if they are willing to be the clay that is moulded into something new and outstanding. We are part of a Jiu-Jitsu family that extends world wide.

I love Professor Carlos’s seminars as there’s always a little funky move that can be added into the mix of everything we learn, but more important are the things we learn to help us create a solid foundation on which good, strong Jiu-jitsu can be built. If we do not have a solid foundation the funky stuff can never be set up. It not about the finish, it’s about how you got there. This is not only true during our sparring but in life as well. Professor Carlos called us to sit and listen; as good children we gathered around to hear to the story. He recalled a few tales of a student of his which brought home just how much we must be a united team in order to progress. How we need to be good to each other and help each other to learn in order to grow. That preventing a team mate from learning a move or getting the feeling for a move not only slows their progress down but hinders our own. Allow yourself to be used as an instrument for progress so we can all play a better game of chess.

Each and every time Professor Carlos visits us, I can never stop thinking about what a wondrous path we are on and I honestly can’t wait to see where it leads to. However, there is no rushing this journey, it is not a sprint but a marathon and one that will lead us down many avenues but one thing we must always hold close to our hearts is to be true to ourselves and good to each other. It is called ‘the gentle art’ for a reason.

This evening was not only full of excitement for the seminar but also for the new belts that were awarded that evening. Professor Carlos and Professor Salvatore proudly awarded four new purple belts and our first two brown belts under Professor Salvo. That evening Andy Brown, Harvey Dines, Mark and Callum Siddons were all made purple belts. It is always a proud moment to see a new belt being handed to students who work hard, put their time in on the mats and are dedicated to the sport.

Jason Tripp and Richard Weatherall are our first students to be awarded their brown belts under Professor Salvatore. If these guys weren’t BJJ men, I think tears would have been shed. What a magnificent moment to behold as old belts were shed and new belts were donned. These two have been on this journey from the beginning of Gracie Barra Bath and their loyalty is as strong as ever. Their journey is far from over and there is still so much for them to learn. It will be exciting to watch as they grow into their new belts and see their games develop. Hearing a little bit of where they’ve come from, to the men that stood before us that day made it an honour to know them and from the depths of our hearts we wish them great things for the future.

To everyone who received a new belt that evening congratulations aren’t enough, wear your belts proudly boys and know we are proud of you. To everyone who attended the seminar thank you for your continued support, we have a great team, a great family, and it is always a pleasure training with each and everyone of you. See you on the mats!

For more info, go to graciebarracountryside.com

Spencer Fisher trainswith Carlos Escorrega. Photo: Personal archive.

At his seat and about to take off on his flight from the United States to Brazil, Coach Carlos “Escorrega” Lemos’s last words to the press while still on American soil were with GRACIEMAG.com, with whom he discussed the man sitting next to him, Spencer Fisher’s impending battle with Brazil’s Thiago Tavares at UFC Rio.

“He’s and great shape and will put in a great performance, you can count on it,” said the 2002 Jiu-Jitsu world champion who is also our GMA at Gracie Barra Countryside.

The flight attendant chimed in. It was time to turn off the phone, the plane was about to take off. Before that, though, “Escorrega” addressed the training Fisher has been doing to try and win in his opponent’s hometown.

Is Spencer coming with you to Brazil?

Yes, we’re going to finish up training at Gracie Barra.

What are his main weapons going into this fight?

He’s a great striker, the best I’ve ever seen in the lighter weight groups, and his defensive wrestling is really good, too. It’s really hard to take him down. His only weakness is on the ground, but we’ve been working on it for some time now.

How did your coaching him come about?

He showed up through a friend. I had three weeks to coach him for his last fight (loss to Ross Pearson at UFC 127), against a guy from the same school, a student of Bráulio Estima. We did some good work. I wasn’t in his corner, but he had a good fight and did a good job on the ground. For real, he landed hard shots the whole time but they didn’t give him the win. Fisher held an exchange with my academy, he’s got students who are wicked wrestlers. The training sessions were burly. Matt Wiman, who knocked out Thiago Tavares, is in the photos from the session [below], for example.

[flickr set= 72157627458774640]

Spencer Fisher treina com Carlos Escorrega. Foto: Arquivo Pessoal.

Dentro da aeronave, as últimas palavras antes da viagem dos Estados Unidos ao Brasil foram com o GRACIEMAG.com. O treinador Carlos Lemos, também conhecido como Escorrega, vem ao lado de Spencer Fisher, adversário do Brasileiro Thiago Tavares no UFC Rio.

“O cara tá bem e vai fazer bonito, podem esperar”, avisa o campeão Mundial de 2002, que é nosso GMA na Gracie Barra Countryside.

A comissária de bordo chamou a atenção. Já era a hora de desligar o telefone, o avião iria decolar. Antes disso, porém, Escorrega bateu um papo sobre os treinos de Fisher para tentar vencer na casa do adversário.

Já vem para o Brasil com o Spencer Fisher?

Sim, vamos finalizar o treinamento na Gracie Barra.

Quais as principais armas dele para o desafio?

Ele é um grande striker, o melhor que já vi entre os pesos mais leves, e tem o wrestling defensivo muito bom, é muito difícil derrubá-lo. A deficiência dele era o chão, mas estamos trabalhando isso há algum tempo.

Como começou a treinar ele?

Ele apareceu através de um amigo. Tive três semanas para treinar ele para a última luta (derrota para Ross Pearson no UFC 127), contra um cara que vem da mesma escola, aluno do Bráulio Estima. Conseguimos fazer um bom trabalho, não estive no corner dele, mas ele fez uma boa luta e trabalhou bem no chão. Na real, ele enfiou a mão, mas não deram a vitoria para ele. Fisher passou a fazer um intercâmbio na minha academia, ele tem alunos top no wrestling. O treino é duro. Nas fotos do nosso treino (logo abaixo), por exemplo, está o Matt Wiman, que já nocauteou o Thiago Tavares.

[flickr set= 72157627458774640]

The leader of Gracie Barra Countryside again demonstrated not only his Jiu-Jitsu but primarily his striking at Total Fight Challenge 17.

With a change of opponent at the last minute, Carlos was instead paired up with Mike Philips, a very tough opponent from Team No Ego with a wrestling and kickboxing background.

Photo: Personal Archives

Whereas his last fight at TFC could be said to be utter domination, this fight was an all-out war, and both combatants have every right to be proud of their performances.

In fact, several experienced fighters and fans both mentioned that the match was worthy of being shown in the UFC or WEC.

It ended with Professor Lemos engaging an armbar from the top mount, he had the arm extended and was working on adjusting the wrist to the proper angle when the third round ended, earning him a unanimous decision for the win.

For more info, go to graciebarracountryside.com

At the last day of a seminar, Peter Berglund, of Gracie Barra Sweden, was awarded his black belt by Lemos with the the blessing  of Grandmaster Carlos Gracie Jr.

Niclas, Peter, Carlos

After nearly 10 years of training in the gentle art, Peter became the second Gracie Barra black belt in Scandinavia.

His instructor and training partner Niclas Gustafsson received his black belt back in 2008.

For more info, go to graciebarracountryside.com

Do you own a Jiu-Jitsu academy and want to have your school featured on GRACIEMAG.com? It’s easy, all you need to do is to become a GMA member. Click here and find out how.

This seminar will feature Dr. Eric “Medico” Dodson who has worked with several UFC fighters including Rashad Evans and high level jiu-jitsu fighters such as Carlos Lemos Jr, Roger Gracie and Igor Gracie.

Dr.Dodson will address “fight nutrition”, a must for all who are interested in taking their performance to the highest level possible.

This seminar will be open to the public, so please invite your friends.

The school will be having open mats after the seminar, so if you’d like to roll then bring your gi.

For more information about the seminar go to countrysidebjj.blogspot.com, graciebarracountryside.com or call: 708 990-0348

Do you own a Jiu-Jitsu academy and want to have your school featured  on GRACIEMAG.com? It’s easy, all you need to do is to become a GMA member. Click here and find out how.

Escorrega is the headmaster of Gracie Barra Countryside.

Professor Lemos not only demonstrated cutting-edge techniques but he also distilled and conveyed the Gracie Barra philosophy as extolled by Master Carlos Gracie Jr.

Professor Lemos also did the official grand opening seminar of instructor Salvatore Pace’s school in Bath Spa England, setting the southern English city on the map of affiliated Gracie Barra Schools around the world.

For more info, go to graciebarracountryside.com

Do you own a Jiu-Jitsu academy and want to have your school featured  on GRACIEMAG.com? It’s easy, all you need to do is to become a GMA member. Click here and find out how.

Barros, Lemos, Bansfield

The IBJJF Chicago Open International was a success this weekend.

And our GMA members were a huge part of this success, conquering lots of medals.

Carlos Lemos, from Gracie Barra Countryside, and Marcos Barros, of GB Springfield, dominated the black belt master. They closed out the lightweight and the absolute.

Also in the black belt master division, Sean Bansfield, from Ann Arbor JJ, conquered a silver and a bronze medal and at the ultra-heavyweight and the absolute.

Team Brazil 021, headed by André Terêncio, also did great. Its members went home with 12 medals.

Click here for the complete results of the event.

Do you own a Jiu-Jitsu academy and want to have your school featured  on GRACIEMAG.com? It’s easy, all you need to do is to become a GMA member. Click here and find out how.